


When You Give A Dog Roast Beef

by xivz



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Bookshop Owner Remus Lupin, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Getting Together, Lily is a good wingman, M/M, Neonatal Nurse Sirius Black, Remus is an amputee, SO FLUFFY, Sirius has a stutter, Spring, Sweet, i didn't mean to write this, meet cute, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-11 21:32:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19118104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xivz/pseuds/xivz
Summary: “I don’t need romance in my life! Love doesn’t equate happiness, that’s a bunch of rubbish that society wants us to believe.” Remus Lupin would gladly stand by his words.Until a dog decides to spirit away his lunch one day. Which leads him face to face with it’s incredibly fit, friendly, and funny, parent Sirius Black.Remus doesnotwant a love story. The universe, however, decides otherwise.





	When You Give A Dog Roast Beef

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tygerlily](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tygerlily/gifts).



> Based on the following prompt: Remus was enjoying his lunch break in the park until Sirius's giant dog stole his sandwich

The sun beamed happily down upon him as a cool spring breeze caressed his clothes and brought with it the perfumed scent of flowers. He sat on a park bench, underneath a wide oak tree, his walking cane leaning against his good leg while the other one was stretched out before him. Having it like that alleviated the ache.

His food was in his hands, a simple ham and cheese sandwich on white bread. His lunch companion sat next to him, black tresses moving with the wind.

Remus couldn’t tell you how this relationship began, well he could _almost_ pinpoint it, but not exactly. Their dynamic had been going on for several months now, and it was to the point where, with the exception of the rain, he and his companion ate lunch in amicable silence together. Well, not complete silence, sometimes Remus spoke. Which he felt ridiculous about, but it was comforting to have someone to let out all the stress of the world to without receiving any sort of judgment for it.

Over the last several months Remus spent his lunch breaks eating in the park near his job with a friend that he hadn’t expected to make. His name was Padfoot, and he was a massive bear of a dog. Pitch black with dark eyes and a pink tongue that lolled whenever he found something amusing (at least, Remus thought so). He had a red collar around his beefy neck with his tags on it that jingled when he walked. Typically, Remus gave Padfoot a roast beef sandwich. On his good days, he would walk the dog home, where Padfoot would sit on the stoop by the front door. The front gate wasn’t high, it was easy for a dog of his size to jump over and roam the village. (Which he apparently did often since quite a few people were familiar with him.Then Padfoot found Remus and their bond formed.) On his bad days, Padfoot would walk him to work.

“Well boy, it’s about time I head back,” Remus told Padfoot as he packed away his trash to be thrown in the bin at his job.

The dog stood up and nosed him, which helped Remus regain balance. His prosthetic was chafing him today, even with his special sock to protect the delicate skin of his knee. It caused him to hobble more than usual, which meant that he needed to use his cane today. He hated using his cane, it made him feel old.

Padfoot escorted him back to the bookshop that he ran before trotting off to his next adventure. More than likely to beg for food off of some other unsuspecting victim. He was a charming dog, he probably had no issue doing so, especially given how big he ways. It was obvious that he was well-fed. (Perhaps even _overfed_.)

“Are you alright, Rem?” Lily, his only employee, asked as he eased onto the stool behind the till.

“Tip-top,” Remus gave her a soft smile before deciding to work on the numbers for the shop. It wasn’t as if they had many customers that day anyway.

 

* * *

 

The next day Padfoot was waiting for Remus at their usual bench, but this time there appeared to be a note attached to his tags.

“What’s this?” Remus asked the dog while reaching for him, he was gifted with many kisses to his fingers and wrist before he could read what appeared to be a white note card with a  hole punched through it.

‘ _Please stop feeding him, the vet says that he’s at risk of diabetes (because he’s morbidly obese)! Did you know that dogs could get diabetes? I didn't._ ’

Remus looked down at Padfoot with a frown, he already had the extra sandwich ready, but it looked like he wouldn’t be sharing today.

Padfoot watched him eat his sandwich alone, jowls dripping with drool as he whined.

“Your owner said ‘no’,” Remus told him gently. “Apparently you’re on a diet now, don’t blame me for that.”

Yet despite it all, Padfoot helped Remus walk back to the shop.

 

* * *

 

The third day followed along the same line.

 

* * *

 

As did the fourth.

 

* * *

 

It was the fifth day that Padfoot finally snapped. Remus had just placed his lunch-pail down on the bench and had shifted to sit when the dog took the pail and ran off.

“Oi!” Remus called out after him. “Come back!”

A few people watched the scene unfold with various looks of shock and amusement. It was embarrassing.

The dog was gone, and so was Remus’ lunch. Which was why he was late back to work, an order of takeaway in his hands that he split with Lily, and annoyance in his gut. Honestly, you think you know someone and then they steal your food! It wasn’t as if Remus could run after the mutt, not with his leg.

“I can’t believe he did that,” Lily told him while crunching on an eggroll, amusement in her gaze. “I suppose this is what happens when you give a mouse a cookie.”

“I should write a children’s book. ‘When You Give a Dog Roast Beef’, and fill it with rhymes over how he’ll run off with all your food and leave you  having to spend money you didn’t plan on spending.” Remus groused, he wondered if he should stop by Padfoot’s home to retrieve his lunch-pail. If there was anything remaining of it. It had probably been chewed through.

“That sounds like it’d be a title for a great relationship self-help book,” Lily pointed out.

She wasn’t wrong.

 

* * *

 

It was once again his lunch break, and he wondered if Padfoot would have the nerve to show his face. He probably would. He was a dog, they typically felt no remorse.

Remus paused on his way to his normal bench in the park. There was a man sitting there, wearing dark ripped jeans, gutter stomping boots, and a white t-shirt. He had black hair that was pulled up into a bun, and even from the distance, Remus could tell that his face was alarmingly attractive.

The man’s hand held a red lead, which was attached to Padfoot, who was lying on the ground with his head on his paws, looking as pathetic as could be.

Well, fuck. Here Remus was in faded jeans, an oversized beige jumper, and loafers. _Loafers_. And of course, his cane, _fuck_.

Padfoot perked upon spotting Remus, tongue lolling and tail wagging. He was not a good dog, not in the slightest, yet Remus couldn’t help but forgive him for what he did. He was too likable to not forgive.

The man, having noticed Padfoot’s reaction, turned toward Remus and stood. He was taller by a few inches, modelesque. He seemed the type to look good in anything, and it was then that Remus noticed the black tattoos on his arms.

Of course, Padfoot’s owner was attractive, why couldn’t this man be a gentle old lady instead? Remus could deal with speaking to an old lady, a grandma with purple hair and a similar fashion sense to himself. Like his neighbor, Mrs. Figg.

If it weren’t for the fact that Padfoot was practically dragging the man in his direction, Remus would have turned and fled. As it were, he no longer had that option.

“Hello,” The man greeted amiably, his voice softer than Remus had thought it would be. In the hand not holding onto the lead was the remains of a lunch-pail. “This uh wouldn’t happen to be um yours, would it?”

“Do you often wait on park benches and ask random strangers such a strange question?” Remus found himself asking, and he wanted to clench his mouth shut but he couldn’t. He hadn’t meant to be come across as so rude. He mentally blamed this man for being ridiculously good-looking, really it was his beautiful face that threw Remus off. Made him awkward and anxious.

The man narrowed his gray eyes (really? _Really_! Who had gray eyes?) and quirked a perfectly groomed black brow, “is - is it, or um isn’t it, mate?”

Remus glanced down at Padfoot, who was still peering up at him with pure joy on his face. Daft dog. Before glancing back up at the man, there were a few inches of height difference between them. “It is, and I’m not your mate.”

The man drank the sight of him in, eyes slowly creeping down his body, resting on the cane briefly before coming back up. He licked his lips and offered a cordial smile. “Are you always this prickly?”

“You do realize that your dog stole my lunch yesterday? Which was plain rude.” Remus leaned heavily on his cane. His leg was beginning to ache. He’d have to see his doctor about the nerve pain, he’d probably have to be placed on new pills for it. He had doubled the socks, so at least the skin would be fine.

The man’s lips twitched, almost as if he wanted to laugh. His eyes wrinkled in the corners and he shook his head, “Hasn’t he been um coming to you for food for the last several months? I - I followed him a - a few times and he always comes to the uh park around the same time. Figured he had a - a hot date.”

Remus swallowed, he tried to ignore the way his face now felt on fire and his ears burned.

“Is this your lunch break?” The man asked with a tilt of his head.

“Yes, and it’s not a long one, would you mind if I sit?” Remus didn’t wait for a response as he limped over to the bench to sit down. He let out a small sigh of relief as he stretched his leg out, trying his best to ignore the handsome man who was still eyeing him. He placed his satchel down beside him and began to rifle through it for his food.

“I’m Sirius, by the way,” The man was still standing, allowing Padfoot to wander around him and sniff at the grass.

“Pardon?” Remus asked as he glanced up and nearly looked down just as quickly. The sun was behind the other man, haloing him in a way that should have been unattractive. It wasn’t.

He smiled, face full of amusement, “that’s my - my name. I’m Sirius, and you are?”

“Remus,” he answered, he supposed if he ate lunch with the man’s dog he should at least be cordial. Padfoot was typically pleasant company.

“Remus,” Sirius repeated, his full mouth wrapping around the syllables. “You come here daily for lunch, yeah?”

“Except when it rains,” Remus sighed while trying to ignore the way his heart raced at the sound of his name. He was trying his best to not become a mess. Attractive people often left him that way.

Sirius nodded, “alright. I’ll um be back tomorrow with a new lunch-pail for you.”

“Oh! You don’t have to -”

“I - I kind of do, mate. My dog, my responsibility.”  He flashed another grin, “We’ll see you tomorrow then. Come Pads.”

 

* * *

 

“It was the strangest interaction!” Remus told Lily later that day during closing. They never received many customers so late in the school year, their busy times were typically August to September, and then again before January. May brought people who wanted particular prints, often times collectors, into their quaint shop.

Lily twirled a strand of her auburn hair around her finger thoughtfully, “but he was fit?”

“Incredibly fit,” Remus groaned. He moved his own tawny curls off of his forehead and sighed heavily, closing his hazel eyes for a moment to try and erase the memory of chiseled features and a dimpled smile. “I didn’t think anyone looked that way in real life.”

It was true, the man looked like a movie star or a model. Effortlessly beautiful. It was intimidating. If it weren’t for the fact that he had a slight stutter, Remus would never have been able to even look at him. It humanized the man, and it was incredibly endearing, he couldn’t find it in him to not like it.

Lily pressed her lips together, trying to prevent a smile, “I know that you’re not looking for romance -”

“I’m really not.”

“But maybe this is the universe’s way of placing it into your lap. I mean, isn’t it always when we’re not searching for it?”

“Lily,” Remus ran his hands over his face. They had both finished placing their stacks of books back to where they belonged and had thrown out any trash they found along the way. “I don’t _need_ romance in my life. Love _doesn’t_ equate happiness, that’s a bunch of rubbish that society wants us to believe to keep us compliant.”

This earns him an eye-roll, “I’m not saying that you're wrong, but sometimes having someone to kiss and spend time with is nice.”

“You’re only saying this because you’re dating James, why is it when people get into a relationship they want everyone else to be in one too?” He asked her as he made his way over to the till to count their earnings for the day.

She laughed brightly at him, “you’re so ridiculous. What are you going to wear when you see him tomorrow?”

“What does that matter?” Remus groused while writing down how much they made that day before taking the money into the safe in the back. It shouldn’t matter, it really shouldn’t.

 

* * *

 

True to his word, Sirius was waiting for Remus the next day at the same bench, Padfoot rolling around on the grass by his feet. There was a brown paper bag beside him, and something else next to it.

The smile Sirius sent him made Remus’ good knee go weak. As if he wasn’t already at a higher risk of toppling over. Today Sirius was in ripped jeans, red canvas shoes, and a black t-shirt. His black hair cascaded around his shoulders and he had on black framed glasses.

Remus tried to ignore the fact that he had attempted to look nicer in dark washed jeans and a green cardigan over a white Oxford. Lily had always claimed that green was a good color on him. He felt stupid for trying, but he couldn’t help it.

“Hello!” Sirius greeted cheerfully, Padfoot hadn’t bothered getting up to greet Remus like he usually did, instead, he spread out on his belly and placed his head on his paws. The epitome of doggy innocence.

“Hello,” Remus nodded as he shifted to sit down.

“I-I’ve brought you lunch!” Sirius exclaimed, “from the um deli down the road? I uh figured since this oaf ate it, I owed you. I bought myself something too, so um you’re not just eating by - by yourself, they’re apparently good? Have you been there?”

It took a moment for his words to sink in, and Remus felt his face heat up once again. He looked out over the part, at the fountain not too far from where they sat, and the children’s playground on the other side. He tried to focus on the feel of the sun warming his face and the scent of spring in the air. Anything other than how endearing Sirius’ unsure stuttering sounded.

“You didn’t have to -”

“Oh, I know, um...it just felt like the - the right thing to do,” Sirius shrugged, and he chewed on his lower lip as he opened the brown paper bag that Remus could now see had the deli’s name across the front.

Inside were takeaway containers and cans of Vimto.

“I also got you a new lunch-pail,” Sirius moved around to grab it from his other side. It was red with yellow sunflowers. “I thought it was cute.”

It _was_ cute. Remus wanted to smile but bit his cheek to prevent it, “thank you.”

“Ah, you’re welcome. Thank you for -for taking care of Pads for these um last several months,” Sirius beamed while passing him a container. Typically Remus would have denied taking it, the man was a stranger and could very much be trying to murder him. If it weren’t for his dog, Remus would have bolted a few minutes ago. “I work nights, so I come home and - and let him out to the front yard so that he um can get some uh sunlight. I hadn’t put together that he’s bloody massive and therefore capable of - of easily hopping the fence.”

“What do you do for a living?” Remus found himself asking, he hadn’t meant to. The question slipped out of his mouth and into the air between them before he could think it through.

“I’m a - a neonatal nurse,” Sirius shrugged, “it’s was honestly a difficult field for - for me to get into.”

Good Lord, the man worked with infants. He had a dog. He seemed kind.

“Wouldn’t you rather be at home resting?” The sandwich was divine. Smoked gouda and turkey and some type of chutney that made it all stay together. Remus’ tastebuds were celebrating every bite.

Sirius huffed a soft laugh, “I’ll rest after we’re done. What do you do?”

“I own and run a small bookshop on Main Street.” It was nowhere near as impressive as being a neonatal nurse, that was for sure. Nowhere near as useful either. Remus had always wanted to go back to school and become a teacher, the accident that cost him his leg caused going back to school difficult. He couldn’t afford the tuition.

“I um think my mates' girlfriend works there,” Sirius states before taking a bite. He speaks around his words, a hand over his mouth. “Lily Evans?”

_Lily Evans._

Remus knew that this felt a little too much like serendipity. She had seen Padfoot walk him to the store before. She had to have known who the dog belonged to. He wondered if she trained Padfoot to steal Remus’ lunch that day. It was ridiculous to think such a thing, but he couldn’t help it.

“I know Lily, yes.” Remus nodded.

They finished their lunch slowly, making comfortable conversation. Something that was usually difficult for Remus, who was more of an introvert and tended to be painfully shy. It was _perfect_ , and Remus hated himself for wanting to do it again.

He didn’t mention it to Lily when he went back to the shop, his red and sunflower printed lunch-pail safely tucked inside of his satchel.

 

* * *

 

The next day Remus went to the park and found Sirius and Padfoot already waiting for him at his usual bench. He couldn’t help the bubble of happiness that rose in his stomach at the sight.

 

* * *

 

“You have such a lovely smile,” Lily said to him later that afternoon, a knowing look on her face.

“As if you don’t know what you’ve done,” Remus stated. He was sitting on a stool behind the till with a book open before him. She was lounging on a reading chair on the other side of the room in the small nook that customers could use.

She chuckled, “I’ve no idea what you mean Mr. Lupin, what have I done?”

“You knew damn well who’s dog that was,” He narrowed his eyes at her, but there was no heat behind it.

“Yes, I knew Padfoot. He’s a good boy, and yes, I had been hoping that you’d meet Sirius. Actually, I had been trying for months to introduce to two of you, but it’s been impossible with his schedule and you not cooperating.” She answered airily, waving her hand around thoughtlessly. “This was the universe’s sign that I was right.”

“He’s a neonatal nurse, Lily,” Remus stated, something warm blooming in his chest.

“I know!” She exclaimed, “he’s fit, kind, has a great sense of humor. He works with babies, has a dog, is covered in tattoos and drives a motorbike. Oh! And he’s a terrific cook.”

“Fuck,” Remus hit his head on the counter, “fuck, fuck, fuck.”

(It only encouraged him to have lunch with Sirius for a third day.)

 

* * *

  

They exchanged phone numbers during their fourth lunch and spent the evening joking and chatting about nothing in their respective homes before Sirius went to work.

 

* * *

 

On the fifth day, it was no longer an unusual sight to see Sirius waiting for Remus.

Spring was slowly settling into summer, which left the weather warmer than normal, but not uncomfortably so. Remus ran a hand through his short curls, tugging slightly, as he made his way toward their bench.

 _Their_ bench. It was _theirs_. He felt idiotic putting so much emphasis on it, he barely knew Sirius and had a much better relationship with Padfoot. Whom had nuzzled up to him the day before and licked at his wrist before it was time to go. Sometimes he wanted to take the dog home. Kidnap him and hold him for ransom. He wondered what Sirius would do if he successfully took his dog.

“Hello,” Remus greeted first, settling down with his lunch-pail, they had agreed to bring their own food after the second day. He didn’t have to use a cane today, which always left him in a better mood.

“Wotcher, Remus?” Sirius smiled easily, Padfoot was asleep on his feet. His hair was down again, and it made Remus want to yank at it and pull him forward until their mouths met.

He didn’t, of course, he had manners.

They ate in amicable silence for a few minutes, enjoying the weather. They were going through a drought, but Remus knew that it was only a matter of time before the rain came back. As it was wont to do. He was enjoying as much time outdoors as he could, rain made his leg ache.

“So, uh, I was wondering,” Sirius was fiddling with the tab of his Vimto can, his leg bouncing as he licked his lips.

“Yes?”

“Uh,” Sirius laughed softly to himself, “I um, was - was wondering if you’d like to uh go out with me sometime? Like a - a date?”

A date.

Remus did _not_ want a boyfriend. He didn’t want romance, he didn’t want to date. He didn’t want anything like it.

However, he did want _Sirius_. He wanted to hold his hand, to spend time with him, to know everything about him.  He wanted Sirius so badly.

“Of course,” He said.

“Yeah?” The relief that colored Sirius’ tone was astonishing. What answer did he expect?

Remus beamed, laughing a bit, he missed the dazed expression on Sirius’ face as he nodded. “Yes!”

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi to me on **[tumblr](https://moonllotus.tumblr.com/)**!


End file.
